Sleeve-valve-actuating mechanism



Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,560

l W. A. FREDERICK SLEEVE VALVE A CTUA'IING MECHANISM m L ATTORNEY.

SLEEVE VALVE ACTUATING MECHANI SM Filed March 14, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 1, 11929.

WALTER A. FREDERICK, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, Assis-NOR To CONTINENTAL. livro- ToRs CORPORATION, or DETROIT, ivIIcnIeANA CORPORATION or `vIRerINIA.

' sLnEvn-vALvR-AOTUATING i/IncIIANIsrI.

Appiicationmea March i4, 1927'. serial No. 175,333;

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and'refers more particularly to an improved drive mechanism for sleeve valves. l Y

Heretofore in sleeve-valve drive mechanisms of this general character diiiculty has been experienced in obtaining 'and maintaining true alignment'of the sleevevalve mechanism. Any inaccuracy caused excessive strain on the link, sleeve, and other parts resulting in excessive wear'and oftentimes breakage of the mechanism. In this general type of driving mechanism it was customary to providev a crank lay-shaft extending parallelwith the engine crankshaft, the sleeves being operated by links each slidahly connected atoneand In order to reduce .the

an'oiliset travel, i. e. travel morel to one side of vthe plane of the cylinder axes and thereby reduce the link centers or the'distance from the cranksto the points of connection-of the linkst0 the-sleeves. fHowever, such an arrangement was not entirely successful in practice' for, although'the link centers Vwas reduced, an increased loading was imposed on Qthe valve shaft.. crank pin and slidable link boss due tothe increased lateral'travel of the link, which in turn was caused by realizing g. a'relatively greater component` of the rota-4 tional movement of the sleeve in the of the valve layshaft. s I In my invention I have provided means for overcoming the obj ections notedabove, in this direction general type of driving mechanism. Inpart, my invention consists of Va spherical bearing carried by theY crank layshaft, either integral therewith or otherwise, `the driving link havingno sliding movement axially `along the '.crankflayshaft, -A still further feature ofmy invention resides in' theprovision of a sleeve valve vdriving, mechanism 'constructed f "to aiord'a vlarge amount of bearing area between the driving link and sleevevalveY kas Vwell as permittingagrelatively ,closeland coml pact arrangement 'of the engine cylinders,v

and closepositioning of the sleeve pin to the sleeve@ f 1 Y i vA urtherl'ieature of 'mylinvention' resides in a novellcombination of materialsfor v,the

`sleeve operating mechanism, whereby fthe mechanism will not unduly wear or fail under relatively long and severe usage.

tion and arrangement of parts more particularly hereinafterdescribed and shovvnv. A lIn the drawings in which like reference i With the above and vother objectslinview si., my inventionconsists in'thenovel 'combinacharacters represent corresponding parte, VQ

Fig. 1 represents-v-aijsectional planjvie'w through an engine showing my` sleeve valve drive mechanism,

one of the engine cylinders,

v FigJQ is a sectional velevation view thioiigh Fig. 8a perspective view showing!the4 crank i i ball and circlip,fand I Fig. 4 is a fragmentarv vievvk correspond- -ing to Fig. 1.illustratingaymodificationl ojf In the drawings reference character'A represents the engine having one or more cyliri- .ders each provided with inlet andeXhau'st ports V10 and 11 of nsualior other preferredy the spherical bearing feature ofimy invention. y'

construction.A For controlling the portsiofa` each cylinder, a sleeve valve B lisdprovided, preferably/'located within .the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2 and providedv with" ports 12 land 13 adapted to cooperate vwith the cylinder vports `10:5ai`id llrfor controllingthe intake 'sof and exhaust. The particular construction and arrangement of cylinder vand exhaust ports lper se forms no part ot my invention.-

f It is customaryand desirablein the single i b sleeve valve type ofinternal combustion en- -gine to operate the'sleeve withV a combined vreciprocating `.and ,oscillating movement whereby axpoint-of the sleeve willmovein a closed path withrespect .to the cylinder.-

To this end my invention includes andl have so provided, as valvelayshaiit -C- rotatablyf y mounted in bearings 14 in a position parallel with the engine'y crank shaft (for a.mi1lticylinder engine) the layshaft being suitably driven'as by a chainwheel or gear 15,1211: halt; i

engine speed `fora four strokecyclelen'gine.

cranks 16, having mounted thereon the` spherical bearings 17 preferablysplit as y,at-18 for convenience of assembly. The split portions For driving the sleeves, as aforesaid vfromv the layshai't,the latter is provided withspaced y tion duringassembly by. any means such `ask ythe 'resilient circlips 19 .engageable incircumferential grooves 19?, Surrqunding Sachs Vafs bearing 17 is an end of a drivingV link 19, this end having aV bearingcap 20 secured to the complementar main bearing portion oflink 19 as by threa ed bolts 21. Forstrength and 'reductionin weight the links 19v may be I- shaped' infcross section; The inner :ends of v 'Y the links are pivotally secured by a pivot pin 22 between the inner bearing facesi23 and 24 of thesleeve actuatingprojections 25 and 26.

Instead of forking the sleeve'projectionsl toV receive the actuating link I Ymay fork vthe ,actuating` linkto receive an vactuating projection therebetween as will'be readily `understood.

Orne of the features ofmyinvention resides*v in forming the face of the link 19 which is adjacent thefsleeveywith accurate cut away or indented portions 27` and 28 respectively substantially conforming with the outer curva-y lture'ofthe sleeve when the link is in the op- Vposite, limitsfof its travel ina direction trans- 'i verse to the layshaft. `Such construction permits pivot pin'22 to be located -relatively closelyto the sleeve valve and at the same time retains a relatively'large bearing area between the link and the faces of the proj ections25 and 26.` The links 19 thus .have a vcombined vmotion consisting of movement' axially ofthe sleeve in parallel planes and movement transversely to the layshaft. IN ith my inventionit is'possi'bleto provide a rigid `linlgtjhepointof connection to the layshaft serving the doublev purpose of actuating the Y link andalso permitting universal. movement off-the linkend to compensate for the arcuateV path ofi travelof the point 22` as the latter oscillates about theV sleeve axis.

' f In Fig,141Ihaveillustrated animproved mannerof locating the pivot pin V22v with re- I spect to the link 19 and sleeve projections 25 and 26'.l I have formedthe link with a boss slottedfat32 to receive a` securing member 31'.V

' Thepin22i is also slotted either circumferentiallyA or tangentiall'y assshown in Figs. 1 and V4 toreceivethe member 31 whichmay con;

veniently takethe V:fform of abar or wire. This member 31 is preferably formed with i portions 33 bent to Contact with the web of link 19 whereby support is provided for riveting vover the` inturned ends 34 which are eyiassedf through apertures inthe link web;

` hns, means is provided, free from interfereating the *placement I f Instead of constructing the spherical'beari 'ericewitli the sleeve valve orcrankcasefor loplinj 22randprevent1ng its dis i ing 1'? separate'from the layshaft 1C, Ialso Y contemplate making `these parts integrally,

" Qi'. e; as'sh'own Fig. 4 the'sphe'rica-l bearing maybe formed integrally with the lay-v Qshaft C the latter carrying thenspherical Withithe lview. of resisting undue wear un- "der'long" andf severe Vusage ofthe engineyIV :have: devised ay novel" comb-mation of mate-y rials for the various parts,` several of these Combinations being gVlin tabulated form as'rfollows; .y Y

tions'are used:v y

C.' I.=cast iron. Y

. C. II. S.'=ca'se hardened steels y I While the combination of materials shown I U Inithe above table the following abbrevia- Y a5 iii-Table 1 and Table'2 is preferred,I de not n i A limit myself in such particulars since equiva-v lent materials may be used if so desired. 'I have discovered that the combinations 'of materials shown are-peculiarly adapted to meetthe conditions existing in `-thedrive mechanism of this generalcharacter. It is also apparent'that'they selection of materials is entirely independent from'the other fea.-

-tures of myV invention as describedV and claimed. Y y

Various changes and 'modifications may be "no f resorted to` without departing fromthe spirit .i orfscope of my inventionV as shown, described, V

and claimed. l

What .I- claim as my invention is:

1. An internal combustioniengine comprisinga ported cylinder, a sleeve valve-ported Y.

for cooperation kwith thecylinder ports,I als. 1.05 mined timed relation'with the engine speed, li

layshaft adapted to be driven in a predetersaidv layshaft having* a crank, a:` spher1ca1 bearing carried bythe crank immovable axially ofthefcrank, a link vmember connected'atV Yone end'with the' sleeve and having its otherV t end formed with a spherical socket'segment'-jr yadapted to receive a portion,l of the'spherical f bearing, a complementaryV4 segmental"bear-iV y' ing cap adapted to receive a second portion-of the SphelfCl. beflngavhdfmeans securing fthe cap t'othelink.v

v2. Aninternalcombustion engine'compri-s-' ing a 'pOrtedcylinden a sleeve valveiported for. cooperation .with the cylinder ports, a f 1ayshaft'adapted to ,be driven v in a' predeter-m mined timed relation with theengine vspeed,'f Y

said layshaft having aerank, aspherical`V Y l bearing carried yby the crankk immovable'.

axially of the crank-,'alinkmember connected with the sleeve and, having its'other end'k formed 1 withja sphericaly socketV segment Y adapted to receive a-portion lof the spherical bearing@ a complementary segmental bearing g .capadapted'to receive-a secondportion of the spherical Abearing@1 andl Y means f securing Vthe the link.

3. An internal combustion engine ofthe character described comprising a. ported cylinder a sleeve valve ported for cooperation ivitlithe cylinder ports, and means for imparting to the sleeve a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement, said means including a: layshaft, a crank carried by the laysliaft, a spherical bearing `carried by the crank Xed against Amovement axially thereof and i, means oper-ated by the crank bearing and connected to the sleeve for impartingvthe aforesaid movement to the sleeve from the laysliaft.v

4. A sleeve valve engine comprising a i l cylindrical sleeve valve formed with a driving projection, a layshaft, a link member eX- tending Asubstantially tangentially of the sleeve valve, said link member connecting the` layshaft and sleeve'proj ection, driving means for the laysliaft for imparting an oscillatory movement to the sleeve about its axis, the portion of said link member nearest the sleeve valveV being formedv With arcuate recesses spaced longitudinally of the linkniembe-r.

i 5. A sleeve valve engine comprising aV i cylindrical sleeve valve formed With a driving f j projection, a laysliaft, a link member extending substantially tangentially oftlie sleeve valve, said link member connecting the lay-f shaft and sleeve projection, driving means for the laysliaft for imparting an oscillatory movement to the sleeve about its axis, said link member being formed withr spa-ced arcuate recesses, respectively concentric with tliecsleeve axis during portions of the sleeve valve cyclic travel.Y

6.V A sleeve valve engine comprising aL cylindrical sleeve valve formed With a driving projection, a link having a face bearing on said sleeve projection, means connectingv one end of the link Witli the sleeve projection,

driving means for moving-the other end of the link longitudinally in opposite directions and in a direction substantially parallel With the sleeve axis, said linkliaving spacedfarcuate yrecesses bounding the -bearingface,` saidrecesses being respectively substantially concentric Witli the sleeve fvvhenthe link is in its extremey opposite vlongitudinal positions 'whereby the first said means may be positioned relatively near the sleeve valve and still provide a relatively great bearing area between the sleeve projection and the said' `r bearing face of the link as tlie sleeve Valve is oscillated.

In Witness whereof, I'hereunto subscribe()` my name this 12th day of March, A. D. v1927 1 WALTER A. FREDERICK. 

